Friday, March 8, 2013

I almost forgot…I bought some plants!

What’s a trip to a garden show if you don’t buy a couple of plants right? I realized I got all “talkative” about the display gardens at the NWFGS and haven’t said anything about the plant vendors…that’s not cool!

Swansons Nursery seems to own the corner where the display gardens end and you cut through to the plant vendors across the sky bridge. Both days I was at the show their booth was packed so I just skirted the outer edge.

Naturally my eyes were drawn to this spiky yucca, which they had labeled as Yucca whipplei. I'm not sure I agree, Y. whipplei has much narrower leaves, this looks more like Yucca baccata. What do you think?

I forget which vendor was selling this Rodgersia from Terra Nova Nurseries. For the life of me I can't figure out why I passed it by.

I'd never seen Musella lasiocarpa sold bareroot before. It was certainly quite the attention grabber at the B&D Lilies booth.

After reading about Bark & Garden Center on both Alison and Peter's blogs I was quite surprised to see they had a huge booth at the show. Funny how a nursery that I'd never heard of a month before was now everywhere!

Such a lovely subtle color combos.

And I like their display fixture, so easy to see all the plants!

Freaks! (on the right)

Why do I insist on touching every agave I see?

Tempting...

These purple yucca haven't exactly been super star performers in my garden, I'm still drawn to them though.

Here I must rant. The plant vendors at this show seem to be dwindling and it makes me sad. This year a huge section was given over to a vintage garden market...shabby chic stuff "for the garden." While I love a good vintage shopping trip as much as the next person this is not the place I want to find such a thing. I want PLANTS at a garden show. Or at least plant related things. Not lamps, pillows and  picture frames. So sad.

So...what did I buy? Here's my collection enjoying a sunny moment on Saturday morning before we checked out of the hotel.

Like I said, drawn to the purple yuccas. Couldn't pass without buying one, Yucca aloifolia 'Blue Boy.'

Another Jasminum nudiflorum...the one currently in my garden was snapped off level with the ground by the newspaper delivery.

Embothrium coccineum (Chilean firebush). I passed on these last year and regretted it.

This Juncus effusus 'Quartz Creek' didn't come from the show, but rather one of my favorite local nurseries City People's Garden Store. I can't make a trip to Seattle without visiting. Back when I lived in Seattle if I couldn't afford to go to the show (my mid 20's were the very poor years) I'd treat myself to something from City People's instead.

I've grown this Juncus before and it is a bit of a thug. This one will stay in a container where it's brown bits (what do you call them?) can be appreciated.

Also from City People's my new weapon! This baby is sharp. I used it to cut back a big ole clump of miscanthus the other day and it made quick work of the dreaded project.

Finally, yes I succumbed to the charms of Phlebodium pseudoaureum, or Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern. Having watched a bad winter kill one in the ground this plant will also be containerized.

But that's not all! (said in my best television infomercial voice) I still hadn't reached my fill of plant fun so on the way home we stopped at Bark & Garden in Olympia.

Looks like they're redoing their display beds...

"Cutting Edge" haha, get it?

Looking at this Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) I was struck by what a great Christmas tree it would be!

So graceful...

I was so temped by the Foxtail Fern, but it's one of those plants I love and hate at the very same time.

Still in the throes of schefflera-lust from The Lost Gardener display garden I imagined how wonderful it would be if this were a hardy variety not a houseplant, of course if it were I doubt I could afford it.

The same goes for this one.

Carludovica palmata, or Jungle Drum, I thought $16.99 was pretty reasonable for such a cool plant.

Another Christmas tree candidate, the Norfolk Pine.

That little star at the top is my favorite feature. Can you see it?

Sexy! Sansevieria 'Bantel's Sensation'...

Beware the leaning cactus with caution tape.

Another Foxtail to tempt me. This one on the clearance table.

But this is what really tempted me. I remembered it from Peter's blog post and truth be told it was a big part of why we stopped. Guess what? I didn't get it.

But I did grab one of these Euphorbia. This little grouping was done by me as I selected which one was my favorite (do you do that too?). The one on the far left won.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

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